The Starkville High School football team won games in a variety of ways to cap an undefeated regular season.
The top-ranked Yellow Jackets won low-scoring defensive struggles and high-scoring shootouts.
Starkville coach Jamie Mitchell thinks his team’s ability to win different style games will help it at 7 tonight when it plays host to Tupelo (8-3) in the opening round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A North State playoffs at Yellow Jacket Stadium.
“We have been battle-tested,” Mitchell said. “I saw the team grow up in a lot in the last two weeks. We have pretty much been through it all now. I think that will serve us well in the playoffs.”
Starkville (11-0) didn’t trail in its first nine games of the regular season. The Yellow Jackets were then taken to the wire in the final two games of the Class 6A, Region 2 race. Starkville erased a 17-0 second-half deficit to defeat Warren Central 27-17 and rallied from a 20-14 second-quarter deficit in a 56-46 victory against Clinton.
“The coaches told us all year we were going to face some adversity,” Starkville senior running back Matt Fuller said. “We had been preparing for that moment the entire season. I think we really responded like a champion. When our backs were against the wall, we really made some plays.”
Fuller rushed for a career-high 217 yards and three touchdowns against Clinton. His workload has increased significantly with fellow senior back Jaquez Horsley out with a potential season-ending injury.
Starkville had 650 yards of offense against the Arrows, as quarterback Brady Davis threw five touchdowns.
“The balance was really big,” Mitchell said. “You can win a lot of games in the regular season without running the football. To win a championship, you have to be able to control the tempo you have to be able to run the ball. Matt really responded (against Clinton). We saw the type of leader he was. We kept giving it to him and he wasn’t even tired there at the end.”
On defense, Starkville has allowed 11.5 points per game. Starkville opened region play with four-straight shutouts before giving up one score to Murrah. The offensive surges by Warren Central and Clinton are being treated as abnormalities.
“In the playoffs, everybody has to raise their game to another level,” Starkville junior defensive lineman Lorenzo Dantzler said. “As a defensive unit, we will be ready to do that. We got some key turnovers to beat Warren Central, but couldn’t do that against Clinton.
“It is our job to do a better job of getting stops. I think everybody is ready to play again after last week.”
Davis has thrown for 2,671 yards and 36 touchdowns. However, Tupelo is allowing only 11.2 points per game.
“In the playoffs, you will face some really great defenses,” Davis said. “Almost every game, we have been able to start fast. That is going to be really important in the playoffs.”
A year ago, Tupelo won the Class 6A North State title. This season, it had to scramble to make the playoffs. A four-game winning streak, complete with last week’s 24-7 win at Olive Branch, punched the Golden Wave’s ticket.
“We win our region and go undefeated,” Mitchell said. “And our prize is getting a team that went to Jackson in the first round this year. That is pretty amazing, isn’t it? However, you have to play those types of teams throughout the postseason.
“We are ready to get started.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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